To record Planet Coaster's audio, a sound designer took over an entire theme park

Audio recordist Watson Wu laments how many times he had to take the rides for a spin.

Sound in games is something that's often passed over without much thought, but the way that audio is recorded is often the most interesting part of a game's development. And that seems to be true with Planet Coaster, which features sound recorded in what a kid could only dream of.

Planet Coaster's audio recordist Watson Wu got a whole theme park to himself to record the sounds of rollercoasters, log rides, and various other attractions. And yes, he took these rides for a spin. It's actually pretty funny watching a talented recordist capture audio while on the rides--unlike most people, he shows no emotion as he records the sounds of the attraction.

While the video above explains how Wu was able to lock a whole theme park down for the sole purpose of recording, the video below goes into detail about how he recorded each ride and dealt with the various hurdles that come with it.

"Over the years I've recorded a lot of different things, and this was very different," Wu said. "But it tells me that, from the experience, always bring a lot more than what you're required to bring. When I was recording the fast, crazy ride, I found the g-force knocked my battery out of my sound device's recorder. And because of that, I was glad I had my gaff tape, so I could secure it and, unfortunately, ride it seven more times."

Planet Coaster is now available on Steam. PC Gamer's review-in-progress can be read here. Critic Jody Macgregor says that "while Planet Coaster is a solid continuation of what came before, that's all it is, and it's hard not to wonder what a more ambitious version could have done."